Always Survivors
by Nushka1
Summary: Sometimes her Boss just needs to have a nice rant. Good thing she is there to listen.


**Words Of Nush: **Just a small little piece.

* * *

Life certainly got more interesting these past few weeks – not that it was boring before, but it sure was a change of pace from their usual routine.

Robbing _this_ guy, conning _that_ guy, sometimes a blade in someone's throat to spice things up. No, Neopolitan did not want for excitement when it was just Roman and her.

Their new _business partners _were odd, though. She wasn't particularly fond of them, she didn't even _trust_ them, but they spoke Roman's favourite language: money.

And money was something _she_ was quite fond of as well.

She'd endure the presence of that Cinder woman and her lackeys. Sooner or later, this job would be done and Roman and she would be filthy rich.

With a confident nod to herself, she continued to polish _Hush's_ blade while sitting on her bed in their hideout.

She couldn't remember ever living in a real house. It either was Vale's dirty alleys or hideouts, after Roman took her in. She didn't mind though. One couldn't miss what one never had. Besides, their hideouts were comfortable and practical enough, most of the time.

Still, with the money this job would pay them, she'd like them to have a big, fancy mansion. They'd probably never stay there, but to have it – _just because_ – would be nice.

Her dreams of large, useless mansions were interrupted by the slamming of a door. She could hear Roman's angry mutterings approaching the kitchen, which really was just a table, two chairs, a fridge, a shelf and a drawer. None of them bothered with cooking and most of the time their food was takeout from restaurants owned by associates.

She placed her parasol gently on her bed and got up, now heading to the kitchen herself to find out what had her boss in such a foul mood. Once she stepped in, she saw his bowler on the table and him sitting on one of the chairs, puffing on a cigar.

"Neo," he greeted her with a scowl on his face. "I take it your job went more smoothly?"

So his job was the issue, which was surprising, considering robbing dust shops was _all_ he had been doing since that Cinder woman had hired them. She gave him a thumbs up and sat down on the other chair across from him. Neo cocked her head slightly to the side with a curious look.

"What _isn't _wrong, Neo?" Roman exclaimed dramatically. "All I'm doing is steal dust without even knowing _why_, that Cinder bitch keeps breathing down my neck twenty-four-seven, those lackeys of hers are _way _too cocky for their own good and now some little red brat shows up and ruins a routine job!"

_Little what now?_ She was genuinely confused. What did some _red brat _have to do with robbing some dust shop or Cinder being annoying? She motioned with her hands for him to elaborate since this story appeared to be interesting, and Roman seemed to be eager to rant anyway.

"_Fine_, you nosy, little –" He huffed in annoyance, acting as if she forced him to share his woes with her, making her roll her eyes. "I was just minding my own business – you know, the usual, like chatting with the owner while he is being robbed. Next thing I know, one of Junior's men flies through the window, is knocked out and some girl with a stupid red cape and a giant scythe is outside."

Blinking once, Neo shifted slightly to the side to pull out her scroll from her pants' back pocket and started to type. She then slid it across the table, so Roman could read her question.

"Of course I'm not making that up!" He snapped at her, pushing her scroll back across the table angrily.

She held up both her hands in surrender. It wasn't like he could blame her for thinking that a cape-wearing girl with a scythe was a little bit out there.

"And _then_ she knocks out _every_ other one of Junior's men," he continued his rant. "I paid money for them, Neo. _A lot _of money. I paid from my own pocket, with my own hard-earned money, and all of them get taken out by some girl."

She raised a brow at him. Just what the hell was he insinuating here?

"Not every girl is _you_, Neo," he explained exasperatedly. "If I pay that much money then I expect them to be able to handle some schoolgirl playing at being a hero."

Okay, that was fair.

"_Then_ I hear cops coming, say my goodbyes, but that brat just won't leave me alone and follows me up to the rooftop! Cinder gets the Bullhead ready, I step in, think I've blown that brat up with some fire dust, but _no_! For no reason whatsoever a huntress decides to show up and protect her."

Her eyes widened in surprise. This story was starting to get out of hand, now. A _huntress_?

"_Exactly_ what I was thinking right then, Neo. _You_ just get _me_." He sighed and leaned his head back, rubbing the bridge of his nose in annoyance. "That little red brat. If she had just been doing _anything _else, it would have been so easy…"

She typed on her scroll again, then showed him her message.

"I never know if you are serious with these or not, but no need," he said, waving her offer off after reading it. "Besides, I doubt I'll ever see her again. Vale is big after all."

Neo shrugged. For whatever reason, Roman rarely took her up on her offers to kill the people who annoyed him. She knew that he knew she'd have no problems doing it too. But, obviously, killing every annoying person was bad for business. Still, she kept and would keep making the offer.

After a brief lull in Roman's tale, he resumed telling her about what he had to go through tonight. "Then, as if that little red bitch wasn't enough to ruin my night, the big red bitch starts threatening me during our flight back. I've stolen half the city's dust and _she_ threatens _me_ because _she_ keeps _you_ busy and won't give _me_ actual, competent muscle and I'm forced to pay for trash like Junior's men."

Neo could only agree with him there. They were strongest when working together. Cinder didn't care though. She just needed Roman to steal dust and her to assassinate whoever needed to be assassinated. As if she didn't have her own lackeys for that.

"I know, Neo, I know. I told her more than once to stop keeping us from working together."

She gave him a questioning look and he just sighed.

"She said _she'd consider it_. You know what that usually means."

Neo most certainly did know.

Oh, well. Such was life. They'd steal what needed to be stolen, kill who needed to be killed and, once this was over, they'd go back to their usual ways. They always did. They were Roman and Neo, they were survivors. They had dealt with worse than some megalomaniac woman and they always came out on top.

Roman chuckled at her smirk. "You know it, Neo. We always survive, one way or another."

They always did.


End file.
